of the distemper was unchecked; and though Golden-lilies paid numerous visits to the shrine of the Goddess of Smallpox, and spent large sums of money in the purchase of offerings to that deity, the child daily and hourly grew worse, until the doctor had unwillingly to acknowledge that he could do nothing more. It is difficult to say which of the parents during these dark days suffered the greatest mental agony. Golden-lilies' distress was that of an agonised mother, tortured by the fear of losing her only child; while Ts'èng's grief at the possible loss or his fondling, was aggravated by a superstitious belief that his own dime had brought this misery upon him. Even the doctor, accustomed as he was to displays of affection, was touched by the grief of the young couple, and, forgetful of all professional etiquette, he recommended Ts'èng, as a last hope, to send for a quack practitioner, residing at a town some twenty miles away, who had, he said, acquired a reputation for the successful treatment of similar desperate cases.
Eagerly catching at this straw, Ts'èng wrote a note begging the doctor "to deign to visit his straw hut, and to bend his omniscient mind to the case of his insignificant child," and bade Tan carry it at once to its destination. But since the night when Ts'èng had been obliged to place his secret in the hands of his two servants, their manner had been less respectful than formerly, and sometimes even defiant. To Tan the present mission was evidently distasteful; and if was only by the promise of a handsome reward that Ts'èng at last succeeded in getting him off. During the whole afternoon of that day, time seemed to the watchers to stand still; and towards night, when they hoped that the expected doctor might appear, every approaching horse's hoof brought hope, which as often was destined to be disappointed as the tramp died away again in the distance. Meanwhile Primrose grew worse and worse. As night came on unconsciousness set in; and just before dawn the little thing gave a deep sigh and passed into the land of shades.
Both Ts'èng and Golden-lilies were completely crushed by the ruin of all their hopes; and when Tan made his appearance towards noon, they scarcely heeded his explanation that he had waited all night at the doctor's house, expecting his return from a distant professional visit, and that, when morning came, he had thought it best to come back, even without the doctor, to report his want of success.
Much sympathy was felt with the sorrow-stricken parents at the loss of their only child, and many were the visits of condolence which Ts'èng received during the ensuing days. Among others, a relation called, who, after having expressed his sympathy, added with evident reluctance, – "There is a matter, my brother, about which I feel bound to speak to you, although I am most unwilling to trouble you about ordinary affairs at such a time as this."
"Please don't let my affliction interfere with any matter of business," said Ts'èng.
"Well, the fact is," said his guest, "that the other morning – it was, I remember, the morning after your little one departed for the 'Yellow Springs' – one of my servants came home very much the worse for wine and opium; and on my asking him for an explanation of his conduct, he said that a man of yours named Tan had kept him up all night drinking and smoking
